As a founder member of Mystery Women in 1997, promoting Crime Fiction has always been my passion.
Following the closure of Mystery Women, a new group was formed on 30th January 2012 promoting crime fiction.
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Monday, 6 October 2014

‘The Ranger’ by Ace Atkins

Published by Corsair,

14 March 2013.

ISBN:
978-1-4721-0031-3

Quinn Colson, Army
Ranger, returns to his Mississippi home town from a tour of duty in Afghanistan
to find that his uncle, the Sheriff, has committed suicide while the
house and farm left to him by the uncle is in the hands of a crooked
smooth-as-butter wannabe-politician who started out life on the wrong side of
the tracks. This story is classic deep-south noir: the loner
returning home from the wars, determined to set things right, at least in his
own patch, the general sense of small-town corruption, everyone scratching
everyone else's back and looking out for Number One, the evil drug-running
psychopath with his gang of wild and brutal followers.

However, this book stands out from the others in this sub-genre because it's
peopled with a number of real – and amusing – eccentrics, from a mad old
preacher to a crazy sex-mad octogenarian. This is trailer-park country, and
Atkins does a good job of displaying the seediness and hopelessness that infest
such communities, particularly for the women.

When the rumours begin that the Sheriff uncle did not after all kill
himself, when the farm that is rightfully his is burned down, when the cattle
grazing on his fields are killed, when bodies start falling left, right and
centre, Quinn Colson realizes he has a job to do, and sets out to do it.

Atkins writes really well, and I
was drawn deeply into a part of the States where I would most definitely watch
my back!"

-----

Reviewer: Susan Moody

Ace Atkins is the
New York Times Bestselling author of more than a dozen novels, including the
forthcoming The Broken Places and
Robert B. Parker's Wonderland
A former journalist who cut his teeth as a crime reporter in the newsroom of
The Tampa Tribune, he published his first novel, Crossroad Blues, at 27 and became a full-time novelist at 30. In
addition to numerous awards, Ace was selected by the Robert B. Parker estate to
continue the bestselling adventures of Boston's iconic private eye, Spenser. As
a reporter, Ace earned a Pulitzer Prize nomination for a feature series based
on his investigation into a forgotten murder of the 1950s. The story became the
core of his critically acclaimed novel, White
Shadow, which earned raves from noted authors and critics. In his next
novels, Wicked City, Devil's Garden,
and Infamous, blended first-hand
interviews and original research into police and court records with tightly
woven plots and incisive characters. The historical novels told great American
stories by weaving fact and fiction into a colourful, seamless tapestry. The Broken Places, The Lost Ones, and The Ranger -- all part of the unfolding
Quinn Colson saga -- represent a return to Ace's first love: hero-driven series
fiction. Colson is a real hero--a veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan--who comes
home to north Mississippi to fight corruption on his home turf. The stories,
contemporary tales with a dash of classic westerns and noir, are currently in
development for a major television series.
Ace lives on a historic farm outside Oxford, Mississippi with his family.

Susan Moodywas born in Oxford is the principal nom de plumeof Susan
Elizabeth Donaldson, née Horwood, a British novelist best known for her
suspense novels. She is a former Chairman of the Crime Writer's Association,
served as World President of the International Association of Crime Writers,
and was elected to the prestigious Detection Club. Susan Moody has given
numerous courses on writing crime fiction and continues to teach creative
writing in England, France, Australia,
the USA and Denmark.In addition to her many stand alone books,
Susan has written two series, on featuring PI Penny
Wanawake (seven books) and a series of six books featuring bridge player Cassie
Swan.

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About Me

From an early age I have been a lover of crime fiction. Discovering like minded people at my first crime conference at St Hilda’s Oxford in 1997, I was delighted when asked to join a new group for the promotion of female crime writers. In 1998 I took over the running of the group, which I did for the next thirteen years.
During that time I organised countless events promoting crime writers and in particular new writers. But apart from the sheer joy of reading, ‘I actually love books, not just the writing, the plot or the characters, but the sheer joy of holding a book has never abated for me. The greatest gift of my life has been the ability to read'.